It may be hard to believe as you leave the cool of your air-conditioned home in sweat and tears and step out into the sun on your way to your car, but fall and cooler temperatures are supposedly just around the corner.
With the cooler temperatures come the fall festivals, one of the most exciting being the annual Foo Foo Festival. Each year, ‘Foo Foo Season’ brings a variety of smaller events over a two-week period, usually accompanied by a really creative art installation of some sort.
Over the years, there have been lanes of bubbles and umbrellas, a magic carpet, and a glass garden. This year, Foo Foo Fest will turn Pensacola’s trees blue as they turn various fall colors. Yes, here in the Florida Panhandle, the leaves change color before winter arrives.
Foo Foo Festival 2024: In November, the trees in Pensacola turn blue for the Foo Foo Fest
There’s still a long way to go before the Foo Foo Festival, which begins October 31 and runs through November 11, but Foo Foo Fest organizers are already building up the excitement for the event. This week, they announced this year’s grant-funded events, and they include a huge variety of music, performances and art that make Pensacola special.
What is the Foo Foo Festival in Pensacola?
Foo Foo Fest is a two-week-long festival that typically lasts until early November. There is no single event, which can confuse people. Instead, Foo Foo Fest is a banner over many smaller events that serve to gain greater exposure that they might not achieve on their own. The culminating event highlights Pensacola’s cultural diversity through musical performances, art shows, live entertainment, art exhibits, and more.
However, there are many larger festivals that are associated with the event, giving it additional marketing power. The Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, the Pensacola EggFest and the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival are all associated with Foo Foo Fest.
When is the 2024 Foo Foo Festival in Pensacola?
This year the Foo Foo Festival will take place from October 31st to November 11th.
Which events will be part of the Foo Foo Festival 2024?
The full list has not yet been released, but Foo Foo Fest has announced grant-funded events for 2024, including:
Night on the tracks, night market and more — 309 Punk Project
309 Punk Project is the only artist-run nonprofit in the South dedicated exclusively to archiving the creative output of our region’s punk culture. 309 Punk Project’s primary goal is to serve the local and regional community as an archive, residency, and venue for diverse practices of DIY culture and contemporary art that critically examine the sociopolitical cultural moment shaping all of our lives. 309 Punk Project presents Night on the Tracks featuring a film fest, night market, streetside sculpture exhibit by Jennie Andrews, and live outdoor music.
The corner of Broadway & Main Street – Choral Society of Pensacola
The Choral Society of Pensacola exemplifies the city’s history of promoting the fine arts. Founded in 1935, the history of the Choral Society of Pensacola shows us how and why this expression of music continues to be passionately promoted. 11-piece a cappella sensation Voctave presents The Corner of Broadway & Main Street at the 11th Annual Foo Foo Fest, bringing their beautiful harmonies to popular songs in this year’s production.
The Living Museum: A Journey Through Pensacola History — Fiesta Pensacola
The Fiesta organization was formed to celebrate the founding of Pensacola: America’s first settlement. Fiesta Pensacola presents The Living Museum: A Journey Through Pensacola History, an interactive, “at your own pace” guided experience that features lively and diverse characters from Pensacola’s storied past, offering a new look at the city’s past.
HizashiCon – Japanese-American Society of Northwest Florida
The Japan-America Society of Northwest Florida (JASNF) is comprised of individuals and interested organizations that cultivate and promote closer ties of friendship and understanding between the U.S. and Japan. HizashiCon, presented by JASNF, appeals to fans of Japanese pop culture, including anime, manga, video games and more, with fan panel discussions featuring special guests such as voice actors from popular anime series, cosplay contests, Vocaloid musical performances, film screenings, vendors and a maid cafe.
Jazz for Justice – Legal Services of North Florida and Jazz for Justice
Jazz for Justice is a premier annual jazz event benefiting Legal Services of North Florida. This nonprofit organization supports low-income individuals and families throughout the Florida Panhandle by providing free civil legal assistance to eligible clients. In its seventh year with the Foo Foo Festival, Jazz for Justice (JFJ) returns to downtown Pensacola with its free cultural and musical offerings from well-known musicians and local artists for a unique, high-caliber jazz and blues festival. Jazz for Justice will once again feature a lineup of nationally recognized jazz talent.
Night Moves – Night Moves Inc.
Night Moves is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a safe space for musicians, artists, and their communities to express themselves in creative and positive ways. Night Moves presents a one-day alternative music festival at Community Maritime Park with headliners including Silversun Pickups, Alvvays, and Beach Fossils.
Lizzie: The Musical — PenArts
PenArts is a non-profit organization (501c3) dedicated to bringing theater arts to all members of the Pensacola community and providing professional theater productions to Pensacola’s already vibrant theater scene. PenArts presents Lizzie: The Musical – a gothic rock musical that chronicles Lizzie Borden’s life and controversial trial. The performance, to be held at the Gordon Community Art Center, will be an evening of kinetic energy, a live band, and a powerful, all-female cast.
Numerous programs and art-themed Halloween block party — Pensacola Museum of Art
The Pensacola Museum of Art is the central arts institution in Pensacola and the community throughout Northwest Florida is celebrating its 70th anniversary with Foo Foo Fest. As part of a series of events designed to appeal to art lovers of all ages, the community is encouraged to participate in numerous programs centered around the museum’s permanent collection, which celebrates seven decades of cultural history and context. An art-themed Halloween block party on October 31 kicks off a week of free admission to the museum.
Carmen: The Traveler — Pensacola Opera
The mission of the Pensacola Opera is to enrich the culture of Northwest Florida through professional opera performances, educational programs and other opera-related community events for people of all ages, interests and backgrounds. This year, the Pensacola Opera presents “Carmen: The Traveler,” a newly adapted, abridged and re-orchestrated version of Bizet’s monumental masterpiece.
Eclectic Loyalty — Pensacola State College
Pensacola State College is a public, comprehensive community college founded in 1948 as Pensacola Junior College. As the oldest and largest college in the Florida Panhandle, Pensacola State College serves traditional and non-traditional students in Northwest Florida and South Alabama. This year, Pensacola State College presents “Eclectic Fidelities,” a free exhibition of artwork and performances celebrating women in the arts, including paintings, prints and drawings.
The Blue Trees – The University of West Florida Historic Trust
The University of West Florida Historic Trust provides visitors, residents, students, faculty and staff the opportunity to experience the authentic and diverse history of Northwest Florida. This year, the University of West Florida Historic Trust presents “The Blue Trees,” an environmental installation by artist Konstantin Dimopolous that calls for action to raise awareness about deforestation and the importance of trees to people, all living things and their environment.
Pensacola through the camera – Wide Angle Photo Club
The Wide Angle Photo Club (WAPC) is a nonprofit organization that highlights the importance and impact of photography in the local community, businesses, other photography groups, schools and colleges, and promotes the photographic arts. This year, WAPC presents “Pensacola Through the Camera,” a lecture series about the history of Pensacola and the importance of photography in capturing that history.
Joyful Noise! Gospel Celebration — WSRE PBS
Inspired by the PBS documentary series GOSPEL, the Joyful Noise! Gospel Celebration, presented by WSRE PBS, a ministry of Pensacola State College, is a three-day music event culminating in the award-winning New York Gospel Choir Sing Harlem, a regional gospel competition, a Sunday gospel brunch, and a gospel workshop for students in grades K–8 at the Dixon School of Arts & Sciences.
